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Spokane City Council is expected to pass a resolution next Monday that would make Ponderosa Pine the official tree of Spokane. If passed, the Ponderosa would join the ranks of the lilac, the City’s official flower.

“It’s something that’s been cooking for almost a year,” said Lori Kinnear, Legislative Aide to Councilmember Amber Waldref. Waldref and Councilmember Mike Allen brought forth the resolution at the urging of community members of the South Hill, Nancy MacKerrow of The Susie Forest and Spokane Ponderosa.

The resolution states that the tree is Spokane’s “native conifer” and provides a variety of benefits to the city. It also cites the tree’s historical significance having first been described by Meriwether Lewis in 1805. While resolutions are non-binding, the Ponderosa Pine resolutions would encourage “the development of policies that will protect existing Ponderosa Pine trees and the ecosystem in which they exist and the planting of new Ponderosa Pine trees.”

“Some of the Ponderosas we have are old and huge and deserve protection,” said Kinnear.

The City Council will vote on the resolution on Monday, April 21st, and it is expected to pass. A press conference announcing the official city tree is being planned for Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22nd.